Manufacturing surge helps power Saskatchewan economy

Delegates at Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership’s (STEP) Global Commodities Showcase on July 16 gathered for a series of business-to-business meetings. (Keenan Sorokan / CTV News)

Saskatchewan’s manufacturing sales environment is showing major gains, which is helping ease broader economic concerns.

Last week, Statistics Canada released its monthly survey of manufacturing, which shows Ontario and Saskatchewan leading the country’s high to a record total.

Total manufacturing sales reached $78.1 billion in May, a rise of 1.3 per cent. This was the fourth consecutive monthly increase. In Saskatchewan, sales increased 9.6 per cent to $2.2 billion in May compared to April.

“Positive economic opportunities continue in Saskatchewan,” Premier Scott Moe said when asked about the province’s recent track record.

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Wholesale trade grew by 17.3 per cent in May 2026 compared to May 2025. Saskatchewan ranked first among provinces for both month-over-month growth in manufacturing sales and year-over-year growth in wholesale trade, according to the report.

After spending plenty of time joining private sector representatives in a number of different industries for trade missions abroad, Moe expects this trend to continue.

“From an economic perspective, I think we will continue to see Saskatchewan at the top or very near the top on economic growth across Canada and the net contribution to this country’s economic strength,” he said.

Over the last two years, Moe has been to the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Japan. More recently, Moe has travelled to India, Belgium, Czech Republic, France and Poland to both strengthen current economic ties and explore market diversification.

Despite political attention at the federal level, Moe says the province isn’t hesitating to explore opportunities where they exist.

“In China or India, we have been in both those countries when Canada (and) India’s relationship was not that strong, he said. “But Saskatchewan continued to go to develop and foster whatever relationship was possible.”

Statistics Canada says Saskatchewan’s manufacturing gains were driven primarily by a 20.4 increase in food manufacturing sales. The gain in food manufacturing sales was largely attributable to stronger sales in the grain and oilseed milling industry group.

That impact was certainly felt at the Saskatchewan Global Commodities Showcase last Thursday, where Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership (STEP) hosted 69 international buyers and officials representing 14 countries and a number of local agriculture exporters for face-to-face meetings.

“The opportunities for Saskatchewan are really magnified because we have so much of what the world wants and what it needs,” Chris Lane, the President and CEO of STEP, said. “It makes the job of putting those products in the hands of global customers an important piece of work and that we’re proud to do.”

Pilar Ortiz was at the showcase to secure a longstanding relationship with Saskatchewan wheat farmers. The executive director of Colombia’s Fedemol (the National Federation of Wheat Millers) says Colombia imports one million tonnes of wheat from Saskatchewan, and being able to connect with industry leaders in one room was an invaluable experience.

“The work of the farmers of Saskatchewan is appreciated in my country because we appreciate too much the quality of the wheat of Saskatchewan,” she said.

Lane said while agriculture and its spinoffs have been the backbone of the province’s economy for decades, making the most of new relationships in non-traditional markets has been part of the diversification seen in recent years, and countries in places like South Asia and Latin America are increasingly seeking out Saskatchewan.

“One of Saskatchewan’s greatest strengths in this global marketplace is our ability to do relationships well and to make trusted business connections,” Lane said.

Statistics Canada’s latest GDP numbers show Saskatchewan’s 2025 real GDP reached an all-time high of $85.4 billion. This was an increase of 2.2 per cent, ahead of the national average of 1.7 per cent.